TY - JOUR
T1 - Distinct monkeypox virus lineages co-circulating in humans before 2022
AU - Ndodo, Nnaemeka
AU - Ashcroft, Jonathan
AU - Lewandowski, Kuiama
AU - Yinka-Ogunleye, Adesola
AU - Chukwu, Chimaobi
AU - Ahmad, Adama
AU - King, David
AU - Akinpelu, Afolabi
AU - Maluquer de Motes, Carlos
AU - Ribeca, Paolo
AU - Sumner, Rebecca P
AU - Rambaut, Andrew
AU - Chester, Michael
AU - Maishman, Tom
AU - Bamidele, Oluwafemi
AU - Mba, Nwando
AU - Babatunde, Olajumoke
AU - Aruna, Olusola
AU - Pullan, Steven T
AU - Gannon, Benedict
AU - Brown, Colin S.
AU - Ihekweazu, Chikwe
AU - Adetifa, Ifedayo
AU - Ulaeto, David O.
N1 - Funding Information:
We thank B. Afshar for expert help with liaison arrangements and shipping between NCDC and UKHSA. The UK Public Health Rapid Support Team and the UKHSA International Health Regulations Strengthening Project are funded by UK Aid from the Department of Health and Social Care. The UK Public Health Rapid Support Team is jointly run by UKHSA and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the Department of Health and Social Care.
Funding Information:
We thank B. Afshar for expert help with liaison arrangements and shipping between NCDC and UKHSA. The UK Public Health Rapid Support Team and the UKHSA International Health Regulations Strengthening Project are funded by UK Aid from the Department of Health and Social Care. The UK Public Health Rapid Support Team is jointly run by UKHSA and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the Department of Health and Social Care.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023, Crown.
PY - 2023/9/14
Y1 - 2023/9/14
N2 - The 2022 global mpox outbreak raises questions about how this zoonotic disease established effective human-to-human transmission and its potential for further adaptation. The 2022 outbreak virus is related to an ongoing outbreak in Nigeria originally reported in 2017, but the evolutionary path linking the two remains unclear due to a lack of genomic data between 2018, when virus exportations from Nigeria were first recorded, and 2022, when the global mpox outbreak began. Here, 18 viral genomes obtained from patients across southern Nigeria in 2019-2020 reveal multiple lineages of monkeypox virus (MPXV) co-circulated in humans for several years before 2022, with progressive accumulation of mutations consistent with APOBEC3 activity over time. We identify Nigerian A.2 lineage isolates, confirming the lineage that has been multiply exported to North America independently of the 2022 outbreak originated in Nigeria, and that it has persisted by human-to-human transmission in Nigeria for more than 2 years before its latest exportation. Finally, we identify a lineage-defining APOBEC3-style mutation in all A.2 isolates that disrupts gene A46R, encoding a viral innate immune modulator. Collectively, our data demonstrate MPXV capacity for sustained diversification within humans, including mutations that may be consistent with established mechanisms of poxvirus adaptation.
AB - The 2022 global mpox outbreak raises questions about how this zoonotic disease established effective human-to-human transmission and its potential for further adaptation. The 2022 outbreak virus is related to an ongoing outbreak in Nigeria originally reported in 2017, but the evolutionary path linking the two remains unclear due to a lack of genomic data between 2018, when virus exportations from Nigeria were first recorded, and 2022, when the global mpox outbreak began. Here, 18 viral genomes obtained from patients across southern Nigeria in 2019-2020 reveal multiple lineages of monkeypox virus (MPXV) co-circulated in humans for several years before 2022, with progressive accumulation of mutations consistent with APOBEC3 activity over time. We identify Nigerian A.2 lineage isolates, confirming the lineage that has been multiply exported to North America independently of the 2022 outbreak originated in Nigeria, and that it has persisted by human-to-human transmission in Nigeria for more than 2 years before its latest exportation. Finally, we identify a lineage-defining APOBEC3-style mutation in all A.2 isolates that disrupts gene A46R, encoding a viral innate immune modulator. Collectively, our data demonstrate MPXV capacity for sustained diversification within humans, including mutations that may be consistent with established mechanisms of poxvirus adaptation.
U2 - 10.1038/s41591-023-02456-8
DO - 10.1038/s41591-023-02456-8
M3 - Article
C2 - 37710003
SN - 1078-8956
VL - 29
SP - 2317
EP - 2324
JO - Nature Medicine
JF - Nature Medicine
IS - 9
ER -